SHOPEE SELLER AWARD 2017

Housewife Turned Entrepreneur Made Close to RM750,000 Revenue on Shopee
Shopee, the No 1 mobile-first marketplace in Southeast Asia and Taiwan announced Te Mei Hong, 39 from Shopee ID: cathyshop as the Seller of the Year at its first ever Shopee Seller Awards 2017 held at Double Tree by Hilton, Kuala Lumpur tonight. The winner was awarded with a trophy, cash prize of RM3,500 and advertising spot on Shopee platform worth RM30,000 as presented by guests of honour Yang Berhormat Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri, Minister from the Prime Minister’s Department; and YBhg. Datuk Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh, Chief Executive Officer, Pos Malaysia, and witnessed by Ian Ho, Shopee’s Regional Managing Director.
Te moved to Malaysia from Medan, Indonesia in 2003 in hope to build her career to provide a better life for her family. In 2009, she established her own wholesale business using mainly Facebook to market her products until she registered with Shopee in late 2015. Since then, she has garnered close to RM750,000.00in revenue selling children’s clothes and toys. (more details below) 

The event was held to recognize and reward Shopee sellers who have shown tremendous business track records selling their products on the platform. It is also part of Shopee’s appreciation for their loyalty since coming on board since its official launch on 1 December 2015. As of March 2017, Shopee has recorded an annualized Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of USD2.5 billion regionally with more than 30 million installs in 7 countries, with Malaysia contributing to 2 million of the number. With more than 100 million product listings across the region, Shopee has become a favourite marketplace for consumers.
“Shopee is the fastest growing platform in the region.But we would not have had such astonishing growth without the continuous support of our sellers,” said Ho. “We are committed to continue helping them grow their business through various incentives such as Zero (0) Commission, Free Shipping Programme nationwide and Shopee University which is a series of free business workshops conducted nationwide to empower entrepreneurs with the necessary skills to sell online”. 

Commenting on the ceremony, YB Nancy expressed;
“Tonight’s event is especially significant, not only in recognising success stories of mobile entrepreneurs, but paving the way for many more such stories in the future. This is something I am truly passionate about. It gives me joy to see corporates like Shopee not only develop a solid platform to thrust the industry forward, but also build a whole ecosystem around it to empower and equip entrepreneurs through programmes like Shopee Uni and the Mighty Moms campaign to build a sustainable and powerful mobile commerce landscape here. I look forward to the day when Malaysia will be known as the centre or capital of international mobile commerce”.

The Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) foresaw a more robust growth in the e-commerce sector. “We see a growing number of online entrepreneurs in Malaysia, some working from home while others are juggling between studying and holding a full-time job. We want these budding entrepreneurs to take advantage of the incentives the government has provided to take a more serious step in business, register their companies and work as SMEs to contribute to our economy’s growth in the long run,” said Wee Huay Neo, Director of eCommerce and Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ), MDEC.
During the event, Shopee also gave out the awards to the following categories:

     Most Popular Official Shop [V]
     Best in Beauty & Personal Care [V]
     Best in Home & Living [V]
     Best in Fashion (Women) [V]
     Best in Fashion (Men) [V]
     Best in Toys, Kids & Babies [V]
     Best in Mobile & Gadgets [V]
     Best in Muslimah Wear & Beauty [V]
     Most Supportive Seller
     Most Outstanding Customer Service
     Rookie of the Year
     Shopee University Valedictorian
     Relationship Manager of the Year

From the awards listed, the 8 categories marked [V] were opened for public voting which ended on 20 March 2017.

Shopee App is available for download for FREE on Google Play and App Store. Visit www.shopee.com.my for more information. 

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WINNERS BACKGROUND

SELLER OF THE YEAR 2017
Te Mei Hong / Shopee ID: cathyshop / Age: 39 / Category: Toys, Kids, Babies

Te Mei Hong moved from Medan, Indonesia in 2003 in hope to build a career and a family here. She has always wanted to establish her own business.Being a foreigner, she found it hard to communicate with local suppliers and potential buyers, but that did not stop her. With no friends to turn to, she took a daring step by starting an online wholesale business in 2009 using mainly Facebook to market her products. When Shopee was launched, Te decided to expand her business on the e-commerce platform and has since tripled her sales.

“It was all about strategy. The first month I joined Shopee, I learned about getting followers and good ratings, so I set a target of 3,000 ratings in the next 6 months and I managed to achieved it!” she said.

Te also joined Deals of the Day campaigns organized by Shopee despite not making much profit. She did so to increase her ratings and followers that will benefit her in the long run. 

MOST POPULAT OFFICIAL STORE
Unilever / Shopee ID: unileverstore / Category: Beauty & Personal Care / Home & Living / Food

Unilever is a brand that needs no introduction among more than 2 billion consumers worldwide. On Shopee platform, buyers can enjoy an array of authentic products from Unilever’s official store such as Dove, Sunsilk, Clear, Breeze, Sunlight, Lifebuoy, Lux, Lady’s Choice and many more.

BEST IN BEAUTY & PERSONAL CARE
Eve Gan Chin Xiang / Shopee ID: beautify.my / Age: 20

Eve Gan first found Shopee on Facebook and thought of starting her own online business. Despite being at such a young age, she decided to approach her boyfriend, Gabriel and coaxed him into becoming her partner in crime. Such a convenient beginning they had! Only two weeks to fully upload their products onto Shopee platform and they had an average of 2 orders daily. Soon after, they were invited to join ‘Deals of the Day’ campaign with Free Shipping incentive and received a whopping 200 orders on that day itself. Now, they receive an average of 15 orders daily.

“We appreciate Shopee for giving us the chance to start our online business. Now, we have 3,000 followers and more than 3,000 reviews within 10 months!” she quipped. “Stop dreaming! Take action! Start selling with Shopee!”


BEST IN HOME & LIVING 
Tim Teoh Kang Wei / Shopee ID: gdeal / Age: 31 

Tim Teoh found Shopee when it was recently launched and decided to give this new mobile-first marketplace a try. He found the features to be impressive and work wonders to his business.

“Shopee’s team keeps improving in user experience and we are surprised with the constant support given by Shopee since we came onboard. Shopee is certainly a rising star in the e-commerce industry!”

BEST IN MEN'S FASHION
Gracy Theng Pei Lin / Shopee ID: mxwardrobe / Age: 25

GracyTheng sees herself as a normal girl who loves fashion. While waiting for graduation, she noticed the rising trend of online marketplace and decided to give it a try, considering that there was no additional costs for her.

“I needed to declutter my wardrobeand earn extra pocket money too. I was surprised to know that there is a market for pre-loved items. That was when I started learning about fashion and sales,” she said.

Later, she was approached by a Shopee representative to join the platform. Theng saw an opportunity to venture into men’s fashion as there were not many players in the market as compared to women’s fashion. That was the starting point of MXWardrobe and Theng has been impressed with the revenue she earned from selling online that she decided to do it full-time. She has Shopee to thank for grooming her into the successful online entrepreneur that she is today. 

BEST IN TOYS, KIDS & BABIES
Lee Woan Yann / Shopee ID: momandme / Age: 35

Lee was blessed with a beautiful baby 2 years ago, about the same time she established her online shop, momandme. Momandme specializes in baby and maternity products. Lee has been making plans to bring in brands from various countries for the Malaysian market.

“I was driven by my strong maternal instincts to bring in the best products for mothers and babies. After I started managing my own business, I have the opportunity to meet many new people. I’ve learned to deal with suppliers and customers and gained a lot of experience,” she said. 

BEST IN MOBILE & GADGETS 
Edrick Yap Yu Zhuang / Shopee ID: Edrickyap / Age: 24

Edrick Yap came to know about Shopee from a college friend of his when he first started his online business. Sceptical at first, he did not focus on selling on Shopee platform. Until Shopee personnel, Diya Nagesh contacted him for incubation promo to boost his sales.

“Then, I was assigned under Mervyn Liew and Nicholas Koh, my Relationship Managers who helped me to feature my products during several campaigns to attract more traffic which resulted in the increase of sales,” he said. After graduation, Yap has focused more of his time selling on Shopee. 

MOST SUPPORTIVE SELLER
Rajinawati Rethuan / Age: 39

About 13 years ago, Rajinawati was playing with the ideas of starting her own business. Already a mother of 2 then, she thought of selling ‘kainpasang’ (fabrics) which would garner attention from local Malay women who enjoy making traditional bajukurung and kebaya. Without social media and the internet, she was forced to carry her products around to meet potential buyers. Every weekend was tough for her for years until she eventually gave up. Then, she was blessed with another 2 children, her very own Fantastic Four. It also meant that she needed to find better source of income, so she forked out all her savings and started another business. It was all smiles and nice at the beginning, but the business collapsed and Rajinawati and her husband lost everything. She had to go back to her ordinary routine to support her growing family.

“But I’ve always believed that doing business is the way to go, so one day, with only RM300 and the support from my husband, we started selling children’s clothes. Then, we found Shopee and I had great support from my Relationship Manager, Aqilah who guided me constantly,” she said.

Now SisterGojes has expanded their business to Muslimah Wear and earned the ‘Preferred Seller’ recognition. Even with the birth of her twin babies last year, Rajinawati has proven more than ever that she is a Mighty Mom after all, juggling her full-time job, family and business! To her, a journey of 1,000 steps began with the first step and she has taken hers!

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Sarah Abdul Razak / Shopee ID: messysarah / Age: 31

Sarah Abdul Razak is the eldest of 7 in her family. She is also the caretaker of two little brothers, aged 9 and 6 both diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) which required her to be at home most of the time. She admitted that her life is rewarding just as it is challenging. With the two young brothers, Sarah does freelancing work to proofread documents such as theses and journals. She has always loved and wanted to work with anything related to art. However, the work could be time-consuming and she needed to juggle her roles at home and as a designer. Still, she needed an avenue to express her artistic side and discovered the joys of make-up tools and cosmetics. That was when she started looking for suppliers to experiment with her new-found passion.

“My dream is to own a little store so I can be my own boss. Online marketplace makes it possible without the bonds of high capital. So, here I am, with Shopee and I’ve never looked back,” she said. 

SHOPEE UNI VALEDICTORIAN 
Lee Kee Lin / Shopee ID: keelin (beststore) / Age: 43

A coffee lover by design, Lee Kee Lin was frustrated that he could not purchase an instant coffee flavour online. That was when an idea struck him. Instead of being a consumer, Lee decided to become a supplier instead. He wanted to share the sensational taste of coffee with other coffee lovers in Malaysia. But he did not stop at coffee products, Lee began exploring other products as well to sell on Shopee platform such as gadgets, household products, just to name a few. Often he was asked, how many personnel does he have on his team. His answer was simple, “I am the only one. I am the store manager, procurement manager, designer, delivery boy, customer service and many more! But I have a wonderful wife and two kids who help me with shopping, packing and delivering. Best of all, they support me”.

Lee found Shopee the most convenient buy-and-sell platform that he has worked with. He can simply conduct his buying/selling activities using his mobile phone!

RELATIONSHIP MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Woo Mei Kheng / Age: 26

Woo Mei Kheng was the 4th hire at Shopee Malaysia, among the pioneers. That was 2 years ago! This 26-year old KL-born and bred petite girl is known as MK among her peers. She is also known as Pingu among her friends for her cute and bubbly nature. MK is a very hardworking and smart employee who makes an extra effort and initiative to improve herself. On top of her career as a Relationship Manager, MK also finds time to volunteer and participate in various activities organized by Shopee. 

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About Ian Ho, Regional Managing Director, Shopee
IAN HO is the Regional Managing Director for SHOPEE, Ian has more than 7 years of experience in the technology sector from both investment and operational capacity in Asia, Prior to Shopee, Ian was Director of Corporate Development of Lotaris, a mobile technology company with operations in US, Switzerland and Singapore where he spearheaded their growth and fund raising activities in Asia. Before that, Ian spent 4 years in Shanghai and Beijing with Vickers Venture Partners, a Venture Capital fund, investing in more than 10 deals across the technology, media and telecommunications industry. During the stint, he was also seconded to run the operations of one of the top eCommerce sites in China, Ian graduated with Magna Cum Laude from Singapore Management University, School of Business.

About Shopee 
SHOPEE is the number one mobile markerplace in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, where everyone can browse, shop and sell. It is a platform tailored for Southeast Asia, making online shopping easy, secure, and fuss-free through its strong payment and logistical support. 

The Shopee team believes in the transformative power of technology, As shopping on mobile devices becomes the 'new norm'. Shopee aims to continually enhance its platform and become the region's mobile commerce destination of choice. Shopee is supported by Garena, Southeast Asia's largest internet platform provider. 
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